NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană visited Israel on September 7-8, 2023, to meet with Israeli leaders and high-level officials as the defense alliance aims to strengthen cooperation with Israel.
During his visit, the NATO deputy secretary general met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
According to the NATO statement, the Deputy Secretary General highlighted “NATO and Israel’s close, long-standing partnership, and efforts to strengthen cooperation on climate change, innovation, and new technologies.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with @NATO Deputy Secretary General @Mircea_Geoana:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 7, 2023
"We have excellent relations with NATO and excellent cooperation. We have great opportunities for peace in our area, but we also have great challenges"https://t.co/YLLnp52tWi pic.twitter.com/h90K28BtfA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with the defense alliance official at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. During the meeting, Netanyahu said, “We have an excellent relationship with NATO and excellent cooperation, and I look forward to expanding it even further. We have great opportunities for peace in our region, but we also face great challenges, mainly from Iran and of course from other regions as well.”
Geoană thanked the Israeli prime minister and said that the visit marks a “new beginning” in the strong cooperation between NATO and Israel. He said, “We share many of Israel’s concerns; we see authoritarian regimes such as Iran, North Korea, and Russia posing challenges to security in both Europe and the Middle East.”
“I am here to renew our interest in building upon the extraordinary technological sophistication of your great nation. I lead the issue of innovation in NATO and through the new partnership we are about to launch in the coming weeks, I know we will bring our partnership to the next level,” he added.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Geoană also participated in a memorial ceremony at ‘Yad Vashem’, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, and visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
